4 More Convictions for 2010 Manezh Riot

The Moscow Times

Aug. 09 2012 00:00

Last edited 21:41

Four men who participated in a 2010 riot near the Kremlin to avenge a slain football fan were sentenced to up to three years in prison on Wednesday.

Each defendant was found guilty of committing violence against police during the Manezh Square protest on Dec. 11, 2010, when 5,000 nationalists clashed with officers following the release of a Caucasus native accused of killing the Spartak fan during a brawl.

The youngest defendant, Grigory Bilchenko, 18, who was underage at the time of the riot, received a suspended sentence.

Vladimir Kirpichnikov, 22, who punched an officer he thought wasn't wearing a protective vest, got three years in prison. Nikolai Dvoinyakov, 23, who hurled a metal barrier at police, got two years, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

Vitaly Vasin, 24, who fired a pneumatic gun into the air and then aimed it at officers, received a suspended sentence.

At least 32 people were injured at the riot. Demonstrators chanted racial epithets and assaulted police with a barrage of ice and other objects during official efforts to disperse the crowd.

Last year, five other men, including one Belarussian citizen, were convicted on similar charges over the riot. They were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two to 5 1/2 years.